Review – Victory At Point 209 / Ngarimu te Tohu Toa

Illustrations by Andrew Burdon, Text by Huia.

This is a wickedly illustrated graphic novel (upmarket from a comic) in both English and te reo Māori versions, about an actual event in history and hero of Aotearoa. The story is about how Second Lieutenant Te Moana- nuia-Kiwa Ngarimu of 28 Māori Battalion won the VC during World War Two. I read it at the Wellington public library at the Māori reference room on the top floor (good place people), take note however, ‘reference’ means you can’t take the book home. The book was originally produced for schools in te reo Māori as Ngarimu Te Tohu Toa and won the LIANZA Te Kura Pounamu Award 2011. If you’re a learner of the reo, then the Māori version is good easy read; the pictures literally tell the story.

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